Our ongoing list of recommended reads...

1. His Needs, Her Needs by Willard F. Harley, Jr. -
   We definitely recommend this one if you are married, no matter how long. It really changed the way we both look at affairs....why people have affairs....how marriages fall apart...etc. It is humbling because no matter how good you are or how good your marriage is, you realize that it can happen to anyone if you're not working to meet each other's needs.
2. From Blushing Bride to Wedded Wife by Marla Taviano - I definitely recommend this for all wives and ladies who someday aspire to be wives. It is full of so many tips...and lots of hilarious stories!
3. Fit for Life by Harvey & Marilyn Diamond - This one is very, very fascinating. You really learn a lot about how your body reacts to certain foods. My chiropractor recommended it to me to help re-jumpstart my diet. Dave followed the advice of this book and lost at least 5 lbs in 10 days. (I have yet to try it cuz I'm.....well, stubborn and stupid, I guess...)
4. Is that All He Thinks About? by Marla Taviano - I definitely recommend this for all married women. Marla gives lots of great advice for the spicy side of your marriage.
5. Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey - This has revolutionized our finances. We praise the Lord for this book! He gives a 7 step process to turn your finances into the peaceful state that God wants them to be in.
6. The Greatest Miracle in the World by Og Mandino - David is a bigger fan of this one than me, but it's a great, short read that instantly boosts your confidence and reminds you that you are a child of God.
7. Personality Plus by Florence Littauer - We first read this book a couple years ago at the recommendation of a leader in a network marketing business we were doing. We learned so much about how to communicate with people of all different personality types. Even though we are no longer pursuing that business, the knowledge we gained from this book has been invaluable to us in our work relationships and with our friends. In the past few months, we have been able to share this book with at least 3 other couples in our small group from church. It has a really cool quiz to take at the beginning to determine your own personality type then you read on to learn about your strengths & weaknesses and how to relate to the other types. One thing to keep in mind is that this book speaks in generalizations. Just because the author may say that your particular type might have problems in certain areas does not mean you have to claim that. You are a child of God and can overcome all things through Him.
8. Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs - we went to the bookstore to by a copy of His Needs, Her Needs for someone and they were out. We ran into an old friend who recommended this one. It's a bit more redundant than His Needs, Her Needs, but covers a lot of the same principles. It's great for a marriage that is lacking in love or respect.
9. The Act of Marriage by Tim & Beverly LaHaye - My brother-in-law gave this book to us on our wedding day and we read it on our honeymoon. Very sex-educational. :)
10. Trust God for Your Fianances by Jack Hartman - This one is FULL of Biblical principles on money. Must read. It taught us, well, me, to tithe NO MATTER WHAT. David wasn't really the one who had a problem when it came to that. I did. I undermined him a lot and tried to write checks to the church for less than 10% of our income so we'd have enough to live on. You have no idea how many times Dave had to rip the checkbook out of my clenches on Sunday mornings and write a second check so we'd be giving 10%....I just didn't know how to trust God to provide for us the rest of the week when I saw no money left over for food, gas to get to work and school, etc. This book helped me understand I had no choice but to trust God if I ever wanted out of that financial bind we were in.
11. The Tongue - A Creative Force by Charles Capps - You kind of have to use the grocery-store method here - that's a phrase we learned in the network marketing biz we were in. It means, just because something is on the shelf in the grocery, you don't have to buy it. So, as you read this, you may not agree with everything. We don't. But the general message is that you hold a lot of spiritual, creative power in your tongue. You really must guard your words. You must speak truth. You can also use the name of Jesus and faith in God to do a lot of great works for the Lord. This book quotes part of Mark 16:17-18 where Jesus said to the believers, "...these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; ...they shall lay hands on the sick , and they shall recover." and 2 Cor 5:17-21 part of which says "...that we might be made the righteousness of God in him"
12. Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler - this is a fascinating, educational book on a drug-free birth control method. I read it probably a year ago. I was going to try it out but then decided to wait a while. Coming off of the pill could really make this method difficult to follow. After reading this, I wish I'd never started taking the pill.
13. Supernatural Childbirth by Jackie Mize - One of my good friends read this before having her baby and told me about it. I bought it on ebay in hopes that someday I would be able to use the awesome advice in it.
14. The Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman - this is definitely worth reading. David and I learned a lot about communicating effectively in our marriage. It could be useful for singles too.
15. Tending Roses, Good Hope Road, and Language of Sycamores by Lisa Wingate - these are good books. They aren't very educational or anything, just fun, light, easy reads.
16. The Love series by Janette Oke - there are 8 books. Fun if you like Little House on the Prairie type stuff.
17. I also recommend most Nicholas Sparks books. Usually tear jerkers for me...